KURDWATCH, March 5, 2013—On February 23, 2013, shots were exchanged near the al-Qamishli airport. An activist reported to KurdWatch: »It was not a skirmish with the Free Syrian Army. We suspect, rather, that one of the soldiers forced to protect the airport wanted to desert.« Several kilometers of the main access road to the al~Qamishli airport have been blocked by government forces for months. Moreover, the government has called upon residents of the poor districts north and south of the airport to leave their homes.